Written by Sam Barney-Gibbs, Strategic Planning Intern | July 24, 2024 | SHARE
The United Nations can be enigmatic. It may seem intangible how an organization can focus so intricately on international affairs and peacebuilding. It may also seem like a “dream.”
That’s how Aliya Haddon, ‘23, described her perception of the U.N. on her first trip to the headquarters in New York City as a first-year student at Lehigh.
Five years later, Haddon held two different roles at the United Nations post-graduation. She was the 55th Lehigh student to apply for an internship with the U.N. and the 55th to be accepted — she was then asked to serve as a consultant immediately following this role.
“This is the kind of space I want to be in and the kind of work that I want to be doing,” Haddon said. “What spoke to me there was being in an international space with problem solvers.”
Haddon said Lehigh’s official partnership with the U.N. is a strong “launching pad,” opening doors via the Lehigh community and even the name brand. This, she said, allowed her to converse with fascinating individuals, including those at the U.N.
But this global mindset began growing in high school, stemming from a foreign exchange program in France in addition to her involvement in Model United Nations, a program that allows youth to engage with U.N.-related issues in a simulated space.
She said this informed her decision to study international relations, journalism and French at Lehigh, where she persevered through the COVID-19 pandemic to pursue an education revolving around international affairs and communication. She studied abroad in Geneva, Switzerland, working on communications at a grant-making organization known as the Oak Foundation and later interned for Bethlehem’s local PBS/NPR station, putting valuable cyber communications and problem-solving skills to tangible use both around the corner and across the globe.
“Lehigh boasts itself to grow critical thinkers, curious minds and research,” Haddon said. “Those kinds of priorities in my education furthered the way that I dove into new opportunities.”
Haddon later joined the executive board of Lehigh’s United Nations Association of the United States of America club (UNA-USA) near its inception. She said this gave her daily engagement with U.N. affairs in a more conversational space with her peers and with officials at the U.N. as well.
She decided she wanted to be at the U.N. post-graduation, but it seemed like a difficult feat to achieve at such a young age.
“Especially as a student, that seemed impossible. Maybe I could do it in 20 years,” Haddon said, relaying what her senior-year self was thinking.
But she made it happen almost immediately.
Nearing the end of her college career, Haddon found an internship opening in the United Nations Department of Global Communications, applied and was accepted. Following her undergraduate education, Haddon would be an intern for the Creative Community Outreach Initiative and the Messengers of Peace.
There, she worked for six months on outreach and advocacy in entertainment such as film, music and sports. Within her role, Haddon aided in the filming of a video made for the business television show Shark Tank; helped manage social media engagement for the U.N. Messengers of Peace, composed of public figures chosen to promote U.N. ideals; assisted in the planning of the annual U.N. Day Concert celebrating musical cultures from around the globe in the General Assembly; and upkeeping membership for the Football for the Goals program, which promotes the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) through nearly 300 football (soccer) teams.
“Using the power of arts, entertainment and sport to amplify the SDGs was a really fabulous thing to be a part of,” Haddon said. “seeing the ways that we could promote a better world, not necessarily in the direct ways that everyone always thinks about.”
Then, Haddon’s abilities led her to another project: helping to plan the 2024 U.N. Civil Society Conference by hopping over to the Civil Society Unit of the Department of Global Communications. These three months following her internship involved social media, logistical and organizational support as a Junior Conference Coordinator.
Three months later, to her surprise, she attended the conference in Nairobi, Kenya: the first Civil Society Conference held in Africa. She said the conference provided a functional space for organizations and individuals from across the world to strategize about ongoing goals and actively participate in future governmental processes.
She said U.N. Secretary General António Guterres and Kenya President William Ruto made appearances, leaving a powerful impression for members of civil society and for herself to take home.
“It sends a message that, ‘Hey, this is worth listening to. This is good work. We believe in it,’” Haddon said. “To have that kind of support from the get-go is fabulous.”
Haddon believes being in the right space and talking to the right people can help launch someone into the space they’re meant to be in, and she thanks Lehigh for fostering her curiosity and ability to make invaluable connections from Bethlehem to New York and around the globe.
“I think Lehigh offered that (space) to me a lot,” Haddon said. “And I think I took advantage.”